Respiratory response in simultaneous exposure to flax and hemp dust

Abstract

The effect of exposure to high concentrations of mixtures of hemp and flax dust was studied in 124 workers in two textile mills (mill A: 65-70% hemp and the rest flax, mean dust concentration 13.9 mg/m3; and mill B: about 35% hemp and the rest flax, mean dust concentration 15.8 mg/m3). A high prevalence of byssinosis was found in both mills (80% in mill B; 46.8% in mill A) after a mean exposure of no more than 13 yr. In both mills, byssinotics had a higher prevalence of all chronic respiratory symptoms than nonbyssinotics. This difference was more pronounced in mill A. 48% of byssinotic women and 43% of byssinotic men had byssinosis of grade 2 of 3. Significant mean acute reductions in forced expiratory volume (FEV)(1.0) and V(max) 50% vital capacity (VC) on Monday were recorded in subjects with and without byssinosis with a significantly larger mean reduction in byssinotics (FEV(1.0), P < 0.01; V(max) 50% VC, P < 0.05). V(max) 50% VC proved to be a more sensitive test for detecting acute effects of vegetable dust than FEV(1.0). The acute respiratory response of the subjects exposed to similar concentrations of flax and mixtures of 2 different proportions of flax and hemp dust were found to be equal.